


Darling, This Was Always Meant to Be

by LM_writes_TTSG



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Magnus Bane, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bad Parent Maryse Lightwood, Bad Parent Robert Lightwood, Clary Fray (mentioned) - Freeform, Jace Wayland (mentioned) - Freeform, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mild Smut, Omega Alec Lightwood, whump-kinda?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:26:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27493432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LM_writes_TTSG/pseuds/LM_writes_TTSG
Summary: The Nephilim are holding their breath, waiting for the news that the next Omega has been identified.Clave beurocrats will seek to use it for political gain, others will seek to advance socially.For Alec Lightwood, he has no expectations for the Omega and is indifferent to the chaos the anticipation creates.He hopes that with everyone focused on that poor thing, he can find some temporary peace.Magnus thinks he just happened to be in the right place at the right time.Coincidence is an illusion; the universe isn't that lazy.
Relationships: Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 13
Kudos: 268





	Darling, This Was Always Meant to Be

**Author's Note:**

> Worldbuilding:  
> Omegas are rare and highly coveted.  
> The rest of the population are either Alphas or Betas.  
> Alpha-Alpha, Beta-Beta, and Beta-Alpha pairs CAN mate and have children.  
> Omegas will only mate with an Alpha. 
> 
> Almost all italicized text is dialogue because I hate quotation marks and the rules which govern them.

The time was right and the Clave, meticulous about tracking and predicting the presentations of an omega, expected one to present any day now. All Institutes were on alert and the Institute Heads and the Council in Alicante eagerly awaited the fire message revealing the omega’s identity. Shadowhunters were taught from a young age how rare omegas were: how they must be protected at all costs and how their heat was a life-changing gift from the Angel. They were the blessed seconds that ran alongside alphas when the world began; the most fertile ones, capable of producing the strongest children. Omegas were revered in all of the Shadow World and the Clave was determined to see a Nephilim omega mated to one of their own in order to keep bloodlines pure. With the Clave, everything was political and as the “heir apparent” to the NY Institute after his parents, Alec was well aware of the political leverage the omega’s home Institute would gain. His parents could hardly discuss anything else. It was no secret that Jace was assumed by many to be the mate for whoever the omega turned out to be, which made him even more proud and arrogant.

 _We were **so** hoping that it would be you and not Jace who would be the Omega’s mate, Alec. _His mother’s voice drew out long, overflowing with disappointment. Alec tried to remember when she hadn’t sounded like that with him.

 _Jace might be the greatest Shadowhunter_ _of his generation, but he’s not our son._

 _We took him in as a child,_ Alec began indignantly. _And he’s my Parabatai, so he might as well be._ Robert gave Alec a sharp look, warning him to mind his tongue. Alec’s head dropped immediately, which caused Maryse to scoff and walk over quickly, roughly forcing his head back up to look him in the eyes.

 _Don’t drop your head like a pathetic beta, Alexander. You may not have presented yet—late, as with everything—but you **will** be an alpha! _Alec fought to not drop his head again, enduring the rest of their “briefing” before seeking solace in his room, which was smaller than his siblings’ but he preferred it as it was cozier, though minimal. He wrapped himself up in his blankets—one of his very few indulgences, several soft blankets—and went to sleep.

Presentation often happened around puberty but late presentation was not unheard of; with omegas it could occur anywhere from age sixteen to twenty-three. Alec, twenty-two, had dreams of leading the Institute after his parents and possibly even being Consul one day. Though he recognized the value of an omega and their lofty positions within the Clave, he wanted to earn prestige and influence through his own merit, not because of something out of his control. His parents always asserted that he would be an alpha and were frustrated that he hadn’t already presented as one like Jace and Isabelle. Despite this, his mother and father had already begun talking about potential mates for him now that their hopes of seeing him mated to the omega were sufficiently extinguished. They discussed which families were suitable and the merits of their unmated beta daughters. Alec remained silent, deperately hoping his disgust at the idea of mating a woman didn't show. As traditionalists, Maryse and Robert saw omegas as inherently weaker and only useful for breeding, especially since male omegas almost always mated an alpha of the same gender, which was abhorrent in their conservative, old-fashioned minds. Alec flinched every time his father spoke about them in harsh terms, using slurs and language which cut Alec as deeply as a blade. Sometimes, he wondered if they knew…

To ease his pain, he worked harder than anyone else, trying to earn his parent’s goodwill and rise in standing with the Clave. He thought that maybe one day he’d have enough influence to change the world for those like him, but until then he’d have to be content and try to delay his parent’s designs for him as subtly as possible. His biggest hope was that an omega woman would present soon and Jace might just win the honor of mating with her. That might distract them enough that their piercing and critical gazes would drift away from him for a while.

When Alec woke up the next morning, he was violently shaking, feverish, desperate, and crying out for something he couldn’t immediately understand enough to voice. Isabelle found him, calming him gently as he clung to her familiar scent but after a short time his body was rejecting it. She was his sister, a _family member,_ and he needed his mate, his alpha.

His developing scent filled her lungs, screaming omega and Isabelle grew sad and worried about him. _Oh_ , _Alec…_

 _Izzy…I’m…I can’t be—_ His words choked off as a wave of nausea and need burned through him. Izzy tried to wipe some sweat from his head, her eyes filling with tears as he winced and jerked away from her touch.

_Shh, big brother, don’t think about it. You’re going to be alright, but I have to go and get help. You can’t run from this, it’ll kill you._

She was compelled to leave him and inform their parents that Alec was presenting as an omega. They were stunned, with Robert’s shock quickly fading to fury, but Maryse’s cold reasoning won out over his anger and she immediately began thinking of the different ways Alec’s status as the omega could be used to their benefit.

_Jace cannot mate him, Maryse, as his Parabatai—_

_Robert, enough! The traditions must be observed and for our sake, we’d better hope that Jace wins his challenges so that Alec might still be useful to us._

Maryse and Robert followed tradition, locking Alec inside his room before sending a fire message to report his new status to the Clave and, reluctantly, the leaders of the Downworld factions. Alec was frightened and alone as the fever began to spread through his veins and a strange sensation of slick ran down his thighs. He began stripping down, baring his overly sensitive skin to the open air, and trying to remember everything he’d been taught but had stubbornly refused to give credence to. He had his first orgasm in the second hour, the omega inside him stretching out with a lazy whine as it welcomed the heat.

In the haze and pain of his body evolving, he was able to avoid thinking about everything happening outside his door. Those of age — male or female, beta or alpha— would be gathered in the main hall. The Silent Brothers and those already mated or too young would watch on as they fought hand to hand, bloodying and maiming each other, sometimes severely, until only one stood as the victor and was proclaimed his destined mate. The victor would come to him then, within twenty-four hours of the beginning of his heat, and mate him for life. If there was no victor and mating within that time, the heat would consume him and he would die. It was a tragedy that no one could live with.

Alec had hated the tradition from the first time his teachers had taught them about the second gender in their classes. He’d crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, scoffing, a young stubborn boy who was so sure he’d never have to worry about all this. Now, with the heat engulfing him and sweat dripping down his skin, he understood.

All he wanted was his mate, as they were the only one that could take the pain, the fever, and the alarming terror away. Of course, he wanted to be cherished by this person— who he’d almost certainly know— the one who was supposed to make him whole and give him a family. He thanked the Angel that the likeliness of his mate being a woman was so low that it was almost of no concern. He didn’t think he could bear going against his nature in such a way. He prayed until the heat became too intense, making him sink down onto his fingers while sobbing into his pillow, begging in the quiet for his mate to arrive and end his agony.

* * *

Nine hours after his heat had begun, he heard a commotion outside loud enough to cut through the haze of heat, then an echoing roar that had a high keening noise tearing from his chest in answer. _His mate was coming._ The door to his room was thrown— blasted— open only a moment later and he rolled onto his knees, struggling to push himself up, trying to present for the one who had defeated so many to reach him.

The door slammed closed on some faint shouts of angry protest and there was a brilliant blue shimmer which wrapped around the room like electricity, sealing it closed and protecting Alec from the outside world. Alec glanced back, unable to hide his shock as his senses took in the alpha.

_Magnus?_

_Alexander…Omega._ More slick dripped down Alec’s thighs as Magnus growled out his title. As he walked closer, Alec could see his hands were bloody and he was covered in scuffs and scratches. His makeup was smeared from sweat but his face was otherwise unscathed, further illustrating his ability and supremacy, even as his clothing limply hung, torn in several places and splattered red.

_You’re…bleeding…_

_It’s not mine. Never fear, pretty thing._ Alec took a deep breath and groaned, the thick scent of his alpha so intoxicating that his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

 _Magnus, please!_ He cried, clutching the sheets as another wave painfully rolled through him. He would never have imagined that the High Warlock, a man he’d only met a few times at Pandemonium while watching out for his siblings who’d dragged him out with them, would end up being his mate. He’d never hoped—never dared to hope— but now he’d never wanted anything more. His biology and Magnus’s determination had decided this for him and at Magnus’ grounding soft touch on his shoulder, encouraging him to roll over onto his back, Alec was glad for their wild customs.

The Angel had brought his alpha to him.

 _I’m going to make it better, darling, I promise._ Magnus snapped his fingers, doing away with all his ruined clothing and removing all traces of fighting. Something small inside Alec’s mind hummed with approval but he was past the ability to fully admire the details of Magnus’ body just then. Magnus crawled up on the bed between Alec’s legs, his hands caressing as he went before holding Alec’s face with a gentleness he’d never experienced.

 _Alright, sweetheart?_ Alec nodded, gasping softly when he looked up into Magnus’ eyes and saw that they were unglamoured.

 _You’re so beautiful…’m okay—_ he sighed, nodding. _I need it, Magnus. I want it. The heat...it's--hurts_. A deep shudder ran through Alec, arching his body slightly and Magnus was quick to pull his Omega into his arms, trying not to moan as his cock slipped into the slicked crack of Alec’s ass, causing Alec to whimper.

 _Shh, it’s okay. I’m here._ His calming tone soothed his Omega, just as it had when Alec had gotten overwhelmed beneath the lights, sounds, smells, and claustrophobia-inducing closeness of the packed bodies inside his club. Magnus was the necessary relief to his pain, a perfect partner. _I’ve got you, pretty boy._ Alec moaned, rocking in his alpha’s arms and lifting his head to try and catch Magnus’ lips. Magnus gladly kissed him, sighing as he felt his heart sink into place inside Alec’s chest.

Alec cried out desperately when Magnus slid inside him, his screams surely heard throughout the Institute, signaling their mating. Magnus was slow and careful at first, but when Alec tightened desperately around him, wet and sweet, the alpha’s possessive growl matched the power of his moans and he started to really move. There was little romance this time— this was Alec’s life or his death, as well as the burden of tradition. He would live now because Magnus wanted him and wanted to belong to him as well.

Alec’s orgasm caught him quickly, the desire for it built up over hours, his own fingers having sated the heat just enough to keep him relatively sane. Magnus let out a shocked gasp as Alec clenched around him, his whole body trembling in his arms. He dropped his head and seized the side of Alec’s neck between his teeth, marking him with a deep growl as another orgasm shook Alec. He knew that alphas had a knot, but feeling Magnus’ expand inside him was a sensation unlike any other. Magnus completed him now, a heavy sigh into his neck as he marked Alec for his own and came deep inside.

Alec whined when Magnus’ teeth released his skin, the slight bit of pain causing another smaller orgasm to trickle through him. Magnus pushed one of Alec’s legs up, thanking Lilith for Shadowhunter training and flexibility as he positioned himself behind Alec, who whimpered when Magnus’ knot tugged but remained securely inside him. Magnus pulled him close, laying down on the bed and nuzzling behind his ear as his omega began softly purring.

 _It’ll come back_ , Alec whispered after a few peaceful moments, slightly desolate at knowing that this new peace would eventually be disturbed.

Magnus soothed him, gently running his hand over Alec’s skin in long, soft strokes as he whispered, _It’s okay, I’m here._ He kissed Alec’s neck and shoulder. _I’m not going anywhere; you’re mine now._ Alec smiled, curiosity getting the better of him as he pressed his cheek into Magnus’ hand for more affection, softly cooing at his soft touches.

 _How many did you fight?_ When Magnus didn’t answer, Alec tilted his head back. Magnus smiled, uncharacteristically bashful, before leaning in and kissing Alec softly, letting it speak of the tenderness he felt towards the younger man.

 _Twenty. Your parabatai was the last one, and he’d already defeated several of the challengers by the time I got in._ Alec placed his hand on his Parabatai rune, gently reaching out to feel Jace. He was sore, his pride hurt, but otherwise perfectly fine. Maybe now he would finally make a move on that redhead he kept talking about…

 _Jace…I can’t believe he fought. I didn’t think he would want me._ Alec’s tone was slightly self-deprecating, which drew a displeased noise from Magnus, who nuzzled his hair until Alec laughed softly. _And you—you fought for me and won…I don’t understand._ Magnus rose and leaned on Alec’s shoulder so he could look at him better, still caressing up and down Alec’s body slowly. _Magnus, how did you know? How did you know I was an Omega?_

 _I didn’t. This morning I had an appointment with your parents to reinforce the Institute’s wards in case the omega presented among you. When I portaled in I caught your scent, and… oh, Alexander, you’ve undone me entirely! I didn’t even know it was you. The smell of your heat stopped me dead though, consumed me, and triggered my rutting instincts, sending me into…overdrive. I am aware of Nephilim customs—I even witnessed a mating “battle royale” once, in London— so when I heard the fighting, I couldn’t stay away. I knew the only way to you was through each of them and… I don’t really have a clear picture of what happened next; things only got clearer once I saw you. This wasn’t how I wanted things to go between us, but I’m grateful for it all the same._ Alec was already overwhelmed at Magnus’ declaration, but the idea that Magnus had wanted him before he presented was too much.

_What? You’ve—you wanted…_

_Oh my darling…I thought you knew! If nothing else, I thought Isabelle would have given me away. She knew almost before I did that I wanted to ask you out. I was waiting because I didn’t want to frighten you away. I know how the Clave feels about homosexuality, but ever since I saw you glowing beneath the lights of my club I have wanted you, Alexander._ Alec’s eyes widened and he pulled Magnus’ arm tighter around himself. The idea that Magnus had wanted him long before this, that this might have been fated in a much larger sense, that he’d fought Jace…it was all a lot to think about. He squirmed—his default still being to _run_ —tugging slightly on Magnus’s knot. He gasped and froze, breath hitching at the slight pain, but it turned to a whine when Magnus nipped at his neck, an Alpha’s silent _stay put_.

_Magnus…_

_Shh… It’s okay darling, I’ve got you. I know it’s a lot to process, but the only thing you need to think about right now is resting and dreaming of all the ways you want me to take care of you._ Alec wanted to give in to the soft voice and matching caresses which beckoned him into relaxation and sleep, but he couldn’t quell the lingering anxiety in the face of uncertainty.

_Magnus, what’s gonna happen after? We can’t stay sealed in here forever and the Clave won’t—_

_Don’t you worry your lovely head about the Clave, my love._ Alec softly moaned at the endearment, feeling the honesty of it through their new bond. _I was present when you presented, challenged, fought, and won— all fairly and without the assistance of my magic. The Clave’s laws and customs were followed, just not by a Nephilim._ Magnus chuckled softly, _They were so arrogant and prejudiced when they wrote their laws that they didn’t bother excluding downworlders from them. Our mating is legal and the Clave will have to accept it. As a High Warlock, they’d be foolish to try anything against me._

Alec cooed at the strength exuding from his Alpha, relaxing into his hold and finally allowing himself to give in to his own wants without the anxiety. Magnus would protect him, care for him, love him, and provide for him. Alec was determined to do the same and it started with learning to accept the comfort Magnus brought him.

Once his knot receded enough that he could pull out, Magnus withdrew and waved his hand to clean them both and the bed beneath. Alec whined and turned over to face him, nuzzling closer, wanting Magnus’ scent to surround him. Magnus summoned his own duvet from his loft and wrapped them both up in it, smiling when Alec began purring again as he snuggled down into the luxurious softness.

 _I know the Clave intends to keep you close to them because of your new status. However, since your mate is a Downworlder—as powerful and dashingly handsome as I am— I’m sure they’ll alter their plans. First things first though, I'd like for you to move in with me, to my loft._ Alec’s eyes were wide when he looked up at Magnus.

_You mean you want me with you…all the time?_

_Of course, my silly little Nephilim! You’re not my concubine, you’re my mate._

_‘M not little, Alpha…_ Alec mumbled, turning his head, trying to hide his blush but Magnus was having none of it. Lifting Alec’s chin, he kissed him deeper than before, wanting Alec to open up to him, to accept the depth of his own longing and their longing for one another, something that the older and wiser warlock was sure would never go away. He’d known Alec was special to him the moment he’d seen him and now it was all as it should be.

 _No, you’re not that little, my love, but you are mine; Mine to love, mine to hold, mine to protect. What kind of alpha would I be if I left you here for all these others to sniff at? Besides, do you really want me just wandering around for another omega or beta to sniff?_ He laughed as Alec softly hissed and pulled him close, aggressively rubbing his scent all over his skin. _Don’t worry, darling, I’m all yours now, just as you are mine._ The possessive tone made Alec shudder, feeling the heat starting to build again. His breathing deepened and his eyes glazed over, but there was a peace to it as he looked into Magnus’ eyes and knew he’d be taken care of.

He floated through more orgasms, letting Magnus take care of him each time the heat boiled up. After the day had passed, his heat finally broke and receded fully, finally allowing him to fall deeply asleep in Magnus’s arms. Alec had never wanted this, but in the light of being cared for by his Alpha and treated like a cherished gift, everything else faded away.


End file.
